Equalizer
Well-Known Member
My love affair with the Ruger number one started when I saw my first one sometime in the 1990's. I didn't care that it only held one round. It was more practical than a Sharps, sexier than a bolt or lever, and seemed like the perfect hunting rifle to me. I can still picture the ad in my mind. Maybe I'll be able to dig it up online. A guy on horseback with a pack horse in tow loaded with gear trudging through the snow in the mountains. …. yeah that's what I wanted!!!
I got my first # 1 as a wedding present from my wife*. At that point in life my only rifles were a Montgomery Wards model 30 A (aka Marlin 336 30-30) a Marlin 60 SS and a Ruger 10/22. I had never really had a decent scope or a "modern" centerfire hunting rifle. It was a stainless steel/laminated stock #1B chambered in 243 Win. I put a Leupold 3-9 on it and bought some ammo. I had heard that not all rifles liked all ammo so I tried a few different brands and bullet weights.
I shot my first "one hole" group with that rifle (different scope) and plain vanilla grey box Winchester 80 Gr soft points. It measures .133". I was at the range and another member and I were shooting from the 100 yard bench. I did not know him and had never seen him before. I fired my 1st and second shots but I didn't see an impact after my 2nd shot. I asked him to take a look through the spotting scope. He couldn't find a second hole. I shot the 3rd round and again neither of us could find an impact other that the 1st. We both walked to the target.
When we got to the target I was surprised and pumped up and I looked over at him and his mouth was just hanging open… I said "What do you think about that?!" After a pause he says "I have five thousand dollar customs that won't do that…"
My response was "That rifle cost me $675 and the scope was $250… I was shooting cheap factory ammo too!" ($15 a box) That rifle has produced ragged one hole groups again and again.
*Yes I bought the rifle and had her give it to me as my wedding gift!
There were others. I've had 6 number 1's since then counting the first. Three were sold or traded. The #1V 25-06, the #1RSI 7x57 and the #1V 7mm Rem Mag are gone. (Yeah I know
) The #1H 200 years 375 H & H and aforementioned #1B were spared. I've really never wanted to deer hunt with either of them though.
My family is small and my folks have passed on. I'm an only child and don't have hardly any living relatives other than my children. I have one male cousin. He's my second cousin. He grew up shooting, hunting and fishing with my dad and their dads. Over the years he just got out of it. He had his pilot's license and he bought a plane when he was a senior in high school before he bought a car!! He has some great stories like doing bomb runs with flour bags but anyway….
I took him shooting a couple times back in 2008-2010 and he really relished the time at the range. We only shot handguns but he told me he had a Ruger #1 270 that he really wanted to shoot sometime.
Last year his sister asked me to fix an old 22 rifle their dad had left her. It was a Stevens model 87 T from the mid to late 40's. The plastic stock had become brittle with age and was broken in two. I cleaned and fixed it (got a wooden stock from eBay) and got her "gill gun" up and running. I saw cousin Ron when I dropped the Stevens off and we decided to set up a range day.
Life and weather got in the way and it was pushed back a few times. We rescheduled and I told him if he wanted to shoot the #1 I'd make some ammo. He was thrilled. I rolled some 140 Gr NBT's in mixed headstamp brass with some R19 (because I don't use it for anything). I used WLR's and just went with the starting load from the book. (Nosler 7)
We got to the range and set up targets then got our guns and gear set up. I pulled the Ruger from the case and was blown away by the wood but it had been in that gun case sitting in a closet for so long (30-35 years) that there was a white mildew all over the wood!!
I immediately began cleaning and caring for it. The bore was filthy and I cleaned it, stripped the old Tasco scope off it and gave the rifle some much needed love. Ron and my eldest son started shooting his Smith and Wesson revolvers while I finished cleaning it up. I mounted a Leupold scope on it and bore sighted it with my eye at 100 yards.
3 shots later I was in the bullseye! Ron shot it one time and the recoil was a bit stiff for him but he was pleased to finally shoot it. At the end of our range session he gave me that awesome little rifle. I was very moved and assured him I would not only use it as my primary deer rifle and cherish it but that I would provide him with venison and pictures of successful hunts for many years to come!
The next weekend I took it back to the range and shot a decent 5 shot group at 200 yards (about moa but 1/2" vertical dispersion) which surprised me since the brass was all sorts of brands/lots and a few were even necked down 30-06 cases! I paid no attention to which ones I shot I just plucked them from the box.
My "new" #1A was made in 1978. It's 38 & 3/8" inches overall length. 22" barrel. It weighs 8 & 1/4 lbs with current scope and sling. The trigger is awesome and the wood is on par with the early red pads and exceeds most I've seen… it even rivals my 1976 #1H 375…
pics to follow….
I got my first # 1 as a wedding present from my wife*. At that point in life my only rifles were a Montgomery Wards model 30 A (aka Marlin 336 30-30) a Marlin 60 SS and a Ruger 10/22. I had never really had a decent scope or a "modern" centerfire hunting rifle. It was a stainless steel/laminated stock #1B chambered in 243 Win. I put a Leupold 3-9 on it and bought some ammo. I had heard that not all rifles liked all ammo so I tried a few different brands and bullet weights.
I shot my first "one hole" group with that rifle (different scope) and plain vanilla grey box Winchester 80 Gr soft points. It measures .133". I was at the range and another member and I were shooting from the 100 yard bench. I did not know him and had never seen him before. I fired my 1st and second shots but I didn't see an impact after my 2nd shot. I asked him to take a look through the spotting scope. He couldn't find a second hole. I shot the 3rd round and again neither of us could find an impact other that the 1st. We both walked to the target.
When we got to the target I was surprised and pumped up and I looked over at him and his mouth was just hanging open… I said "What do you think about that?!" After a pause he says "I have five thousand dollar customs that won't do that…"
My response was "That rifle cost me $675 and the scope was $250… I was shooting cheap factory ammo too!" ($15 a box) That rifle has produced ragged one hole groups again and again.
*Yes I bought the rifle and had her give it to me as my wedding gift!
There were others. I've had 6 number 1's since then counting the first. Three were sold or traded. The #1V 25-06, the #1RSI 7x57 and the #1V 7mm Rem Mag are gone. (Yeah I know
) The #1H 200 years 375 H & H and aforementioned #1B were spared. I've really never wanted to deer hunt with either of them though. My family is small and my folks have passed on. I'm an only child and don't have hardly any living relatives other than my children. I have one male cousin. He's my second cousin. He grew up shooting, hunting and fishing with my dad and their dads. Over the years he just got out of it. He had his pilot's license and he bought a plane when he was a senior in high school before he bought a car!! He has some great stories like doing bomb runs with flour bags but anyway….
I took him shooting a couple times back in 2008-2010 and he really relished the time at the range. We only shot handguns but he told me he had a Ruger #1 270 that he really wanted to shoot sometime.
Last year his sister asked me to fix an old 22 rifle their dad had left her. It was a Stevens model 87 T from the mid to late 40's. The plastic stock had become brittle with age and was broken in two. I cleaned and fixed it (got a wooden stock from eBay) and got her "gill gun" up and running. I saw cousin Ron when I dropped the Stevens off and we decided to set up a range day.
Life and weather got in the way and it was pushed back a few times. We rescheduled and I told him if he wanted to shoot the #1 I'd make some ammo. He was thrilled. I rolled some 140 Gr NBT's in mixed headstamp brass with some R19 (because I don't use it for anything). I used WLR's and just went with the starting load from the book. (Nosler 7)
We got to the range and set up targets then got our guns and gear set up. I pulled the Ruger from the case and was blown away by the wood but it had been in that gun case sitting in a closet for so long (30-35 years) that there was a white mildew all over the wood!!
I immediately began cleaning and caring for it. The bore was filthy and I cleaned it, stripped the old Tasco scope off it and gave the rifle some much needed love. Ron and my eldest son started shooting his Smith and Wesson revolvers while I finished cleaning it up. I mounted a Leupold scope on it and bore sighted it with my eye at 100 yards.
3 shots later I was in the bullseye! Ron shot it one time and the recoil was a bit stiff for him but he was pleased to finally shoot it. At the end of our range session he gave me that awesome little rifle. I was very moved and assured him I would not only use it as my primary deer rifle and cherish it but that I would provide him with venison and pictures of successful hunts for many years to come!
The next weekend I took it back to the range and shot a decent 5 shot group at 200 yards (about moa but 1/2" vertical dispersion) which surprised me since the brass was all sorts of brands/lots and a few were even necked down 30-06 cases! I paid no attention to which ones I shot I just plucked them from the box.
My "new" #1A was made in 1978. It's 38 & 3/8" inches overall length. 22" barrel. It weighs 8 & 1/4 lbs with current scope and sling. The trigger is awesome and the wood is on par with the early red pads and exceeds most I've seen… it even rivals my 1976 #1H 375…
pics to follow….
